Grading a Guardians-Blue Jays trade to give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a new start

The Toronto Blue Jays were a team many expected to compete thanks to an outstanding pitching staff led by arguably the league's best starting rotation. Unfortunately, things haven't quite gone to plan, as after their latest loss, the Blue Jays sit at 23-28 on the year, good for last place in the AL East. Not only are they 12 games back of the first-place New York Yankees, but they're five games out of a playoff spot with several teams to jump.

The Blue Jays have a team capable of going on a run, but we haven't seen any consistency from them all season, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The Jays sit at 27th in the majors in runs scored which is a spot no team wants to be.

If they continue to struggle, selling at the trade deadline is something that Ross Atkins is going to have to strongly consider. While they wouldn't have to trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr., he's arguably their best asset currently as he has turned his season around following a rough start.

A trade proposal from Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report would have the Jays kickstarting a rebuild while simultaneously giving Guerrero a fresh start with the Cleveland Guardians.

Grading a Guardians-Blue Jays trade to give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a fresh start in Cleveland

This deal has the Guardians and Blue Jays swapping MLB first basemen. The Jays would acquire Cleveland's No. 2 prospect and the 38th-ranked prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline in Kyle Manzardo while the Guardians would land Guerrero.

In a vacuum, this does make sense for both sides, but the scales tilt one way more than the other. Cleveland gets the better end of this by a relatively sizable margin.

Guerrero is not a rental. The Guardians would have him for 1.5 seasons, or at least have the ability to have him for 1.5 seasons. Knowing them and their history, it wouldn't be shocking to see them give it a go with him for this season and see what they can get for him in the offseason instead of paying him. Regardless, they'd have the option of having him for two playoff runs, which is extremely valuable.

The Guardians might not need a first baseman with Josh Naylor in the fold, but they could use Naylor or Guerrero at DH. The Guardians are 34-17 on the year which is the second-best record in the AL. They might not be a major threat on paper, but adding a proven middle-of-the-order stud like Guerrero could change that, and all they'd have to do here is give up is their current 1B/DH in Manzardo who has gotten off to a slow start in his brief MLB career.

The Guardians would do this in a heartbeat, but the Blue Jays would not.

Getting Manzardo, one of the 40 best prospects in baseball right now who is MLB-ready is a great start to a Guerrero trade, but isn't enough on his own. Just last deadline we saw the Tampa Bay Rays trade Manzardo to the Guardians in exchange for Aaron Civale. Sure, Civale is a starting pitcher and had more team control, but he's not the player Guerrero is. Guerrero almost certainly will command a stronger return, and rightfully so.

Guerrero is a 25-year-old star who, despite being a first baseman, should command more of a return than this. Manzardo is a good start, but Cleveland needs to attach more to really get the Jays interested. It'd take a lot to get him, especially with another full year of control and Toronto showing little interest if any in moving a player like him.

Guardians grade: A-
Blue Jays grade: C+